The predicaments for coworking in 2018 according to Deskmag

By kris

09-05-2018

Not just in Amsterdam, but around the globe coworking spaces seem to be popping up everywhere! Freelancers, as well as small and large companies, benefit from a fully equipped office without having to worry about expensive office rent. What’s not to like?

With an estimation of 19,000 coworking spaces and 1.7 million members in the year 2018, it’s unmistakable this is the year of coworking. That’s a lot of network opportunities, flexible working hours and increased productivity!

We’ve gathered the most remarkable trends in coworking from Deskmag’s Global coworking survey, which was larger than life this year with a stunning number of 1980 participants!

What you can expect from the coworking industry in 2018:

Extraordinary spaces
Since the coworking business is booming this year and will keep on growing, it becomes more important to stand out in the crowd. In 2018 it’s likely that at least one building in your neighborhood will probably be a coworking space.

With coworking spaces like the Wing, specially designed for women, Common Desks Airstream, or Tech heaven ExtraSlice niche spaces are becoming a big part of the industry this year! Every kind of population group will have its own community of like-minded people that work and collaborate in the same place.

In 2018 there will be a niche coworking space for every population group!

Big brands
As we stated in a previous blog post about workplace trends, market leaders like Apple and Google are becoming more aware of the benefits that are facilitated when different kind of teams and employees join forces. This trend will continue to grow this year.

By expanding, coworking spaces will gain big companies as clients. Using hot desks and shared office spaces offer a cost effective solution for corporate companies. This enables melting pots made up of start-ups, small businesses, freelancers and the big corporates: Opportunities every kind of company can benefit from!

Automation
Just like coworking spaces, tech start-ups are popping up all over the world: A match made in heaven it seems! Coworking spaces need to provide high-end technologies to keep their tech start up customers happy. This means automating the spaces this year!

A flexible workplace begins with automation: Heating, billing, and of course cloud-based access control! By providing customers with helpful apps that increase user satisfaction, coworking spaces that are automated will always be ahead of the game. We’re happy to say that SALTO KS is already integrated with Nexudus, OfficeR&D, ZapFloor and Bisner, more coming very soon!

Increasing member count by expanding
According to the Deskmag survey the average coworking space has 82 members. That number is expected to increase in 2018. It’s also expected some coworking space owners that don’t have the resources to expand, need to make adjustments so they can welcome more members.

A few of the challenges coworking spaces are facing this year are attracting new members, hosting them and making sure they pay. The competition is bigger then ever before and though there are more people that are looking for their ideal coworking space, it’s becoming harder to stand out of the crowd.

People that are already members of a coworking space tend to stay. Because of these ‘loyal’ members it’s most likely coworking spaces have to increase in size, which enables them to welcome more members.

By providing customers with helpful apps that increase user satisfaction, coworking spaces that are automated will always be ahead of the game.

Health benefits
Many companies come to see the benefits of happy and healthy employees. Wellness programs like dietary advice, meditation classes and gym memberships are now often included in the modern job package. What better way to offer a brand-new employee a health boost than having these facilities at the tip of your fingers: In the building where your office is situated! Being able to offer a new employee all the benefits of a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing your own!

This survey (mainly sponsored by Nexudus, Yardi Europe
and Essensys) is a yearly initiative by Deskmag: The online magazine for new types of working primarily focused on coworking spaces.

Curious why your focus is stronger in an open office? Find out more in our previous blog post.